"With center Yao Ming out for the season, the Rockets on Monday began the process of seeking a disabled-player exception from the NBA, general manager Daryl Morey confirmed.

The Rockets expect to have the exception granted, which will allow them to trade for a player without matching salaries, up to the value of the mid-level exception of $5.765 million. The exception also would be an option to sign a free agent.

Because Yao's injury occurred before Nov. 30, the Rockets would have 45 days to use the exception, beginning on the day they could have been expected to uncover the injury, which was last Thursday.

The Rockets also have a trade exception worth $6.33 million from the Trevor Ariza-Courtney Lee deal. The exceptions are potentially valuable because they could allow the Rockets to take on salary from a team that is cost-cutting as a way to sweeten a separate but simultaneous deal.

In his first two games against his hometown team, Rockets center Chuck Hayes had career-high scoring performances, getting 16 in both.

Hayes said scoring is not the priority, even against the Warriors, but he said he could not rule out the Oakland factor as having played a part in his offensive success during the first two games."